LA School Report

Could there be a hint of progress in negotiations between LA Unified and the teachers’ union, UTLA? Negotiators for the district say they were encouraged by the union’s latest — and most comprehensive — contract proposal, which was submitted last week. Vivan Ekchian, the district’s chief labor negotiator, told LA School Report, “I considered it...

California, other states to set test cutoff scores During the next few weeks California educators will play a pivotal role in a crucial phase of work for the new Smarter Balanced assessments that millions of California students will take this spring for the first time. EdSource Why can’t the grown-ups get it right on education?...

With record October heat striking the Los Angeles area, LA Unified today cancelled all outdoor daytime athletic activities in the San Fernando Valley, NBC reported. Varsity football games scheduled for after 7 p.m. will continue. Because of triple digit heat, Santa Ana winds and fire danger expected through the weekend, heat advisories and red flag warnings...

* UPDATED In a move supported by LA Unified Superintendent John Deasy, several civil rights organizations asked a judge yesterday to order the state to address the scheduling mess plaguing Jefferson High School, where computer glitches have caused many students to go for two months without the correct classes. Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of the teachers...

Via the Los Angeles Times | By the Editorial Board It would be a great loss to the students of Los Angeles Unified School District if Supt. John Deasy left his job or were fired, especially if the enormous and welcome sense of urgency he brings to education left with him. Deasy’s leadership over the...

In a surprising move in its contract negotiations with LA Unified, UTLA yesterday backed off its previous demand of a 17.6 percent pay raise over the next two years, to call for a bigger raise for one year, a 10 percent bump for 2014-15, with the expectation of re-opening salary negotiations next year. The union’s new wage...

State introduces tools for school change With districts working this fall to put into action their first locally created school accountability plans, the California Department of Education rolled out a new online resource center on Thursday designed to help schools change. EdSource Steps Weighed on Method for Flagging Bias in Spec. Ed. Federal officials face...

Even before the LA Unified school board began discussing a possible buyout for Superintendent John Deasy, Tuesday night, one of his top deputies volunteered to take his place during a transition to new leadership. While it might have appeared opportunistic to some, Michelle King, the deputy superintendent who offered to step in, explained in a brief statement...

So now we have a hint of what the LA Unified board members were discussing during the four hours they met in private Tuesday night. Part of the conversation dealt with finding a way to reach a financial settlement with Superintendent John Deasy to remove him from his post, as the LA Times reported this morning....